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Service chiefs’ appointment not by ethnicity, presidency says
By Modupe Shodeinde
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Shehu Garba has said that the appointment of service chiefs is not by ethnicity rather by ability to ensure security in the country.
Shehu said this in response to the call for an Inspector-General from the South-East, as the tenure of the present IGP, Abubakar Adamu expires today.
Adamu is expected to vacate office today, Monday, having gotten to the mandatory retirement age.
Similar demands were also made last week, when President Muhammadu Buhari, appointed four new service chiefs.
Shehu while on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, said the President was fair in his recent appointment of service chiefs by making two appointments each from the South and the North.
He said, “The language that is being used is that there should be an Igbo service chief and this is a country with more than 250 ethnic groups.
If you are going to appoint a service chief from every ethnic group in this country, you are going to have more than 250 Inspector General of Police, 250 Chief of Army Staff, 250 Chief of Naval Staff. Things are not going to work like that.
“If we said that we are going to use ethnicity or religion as the basis, then, we have lost it. This is about law and order and not about ethnic identity.
“Look at what happened with the service chiefs appointed now – two from the South, two from the North. If you are talking about religion, two Muslims, two Christians.”
Speaking on the appointment of the IGP, the presidential aide said “the President would rather have an Inspector General of Police who would make you and I safer, who would protect lives and property than one who is more pronounced by his tribal marks.”
According to him, a decision would be made when the President returns to Aso Villa from Daura, Katsina State later this week.
